Two updates in our ongoing coverage of the West Seattle encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville”:

FOOD LIFELINE SITE DECISION DELAY? Though some word from the city was expected any day now by both Food Lifeline – which wants to buy the public land that currently houses the encampment – and the Highland Park Action Committee, which says the encampment has overstayed its welcome and wants a move-out date (as first reported here Thursday), Mayor McGinn‘s office says the next move may still be a few weeks away. Spokesperson Aaron Pickus answered our query this morning with: “We expect to have a report from our Finance and Administrative Services department in early to mid-April regarding the possible property sale to Food Lifeline.”

SENTENCING IN APRIL 2012 ‘FIREBOMBING’: It’s not in our coverage archives, but the U.S. Attorney reports that not only was there a firebombing at the encampment almost exactly a year ago – related to an “eviction” – but the repeat offender arrested for it and another crime two days later has just been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office sent a news release about it today – saying 37-year-old Shane Anello had pleaded guilty to charges stemming from having thrown a Molotov cocktail at the car of someone who had evicted him from Nickelsville on April 1 (a “car fire” is shown on the 911 logs for that day at 6:10 pm), and to shooting at a car in Beacon Hill on April 3rd. Read the full news release here.

has it occured to anyone yet that Nickelsville wouldn’t be a dump if it had even rudimentary temporary services?

what frustrates me so much is that those of us who volunteer agree with those of you who call them bums that Nickelsville shouldn’t be where it is… or what it is.

but as long as you focus the conversation on “throw the bums out” it becomes nearly impossible for us to convince the city to provide services that will help the residents move on to something/someplace else and to come up with some kind of better solution for those who don’t want to move on in their lives.

Why should the city waste valuable tax dollars to provide “temporary” water, sewer, and electrical services to an illegal encampment that might not be there much longer?

I am very confused as to why the city should provide services to an illegal encampment, when other citizens have to pay for said services.

Especially when the illegal encampment has done nothing to contribute to the local community.

If someone can give me some valid reasons as to why the folks at this illegal encampment are entiltled to these services that taxpayers pay huge fees for, I might be able to see things your way.

I read that these folks are “down on their luck”, “less fortunate”, “veterans”, etc but trust me, EVERYONE faces challenges in their lives. I can not and will not be guilted into the fact I do have a home, and I work damn hard just to barely pay mortgage and exhorbitant utility fees.

It should be noted, and not in the context to validate or invalidate anyone’s viewpoint, there were people out around the Nickelsville perimeter this morning with trash bags, along two street sides (east and south). I was in the area on the way back from something else and not in a position to pull over for a photo but wanted to note it somewhere – TR

Re: “omitted”: You’d have to ask the US Attorney’s Office. The news release to which I linked here (so readers can see all of what they’ve written, not just a rewritten excerpt) is the entirety of what they have released about it. Haven’t seen the forum post but will see if any court documents from the case are in the online federal system.

In-progress update – there are a LOT of sealed documents in this federal file. Still have not found one with details of the actual case (a la the “narrative” usually found in the “information” documents in a county court case). Unusual. The openly available documents I’ve found so far just mention Shane Anello’s “career criminal” status and toplines of the past charges that have him viewed that way. – TR

I am a former resident. The camp is full of drug dealers and users and needs to be dissovled in order to get rid of the problem. Scott you should have acted on the problem when you were informed. Now you lost good people and have drug dealers and useers left.

The camp needs good leadership and organization which should have happened a long time ago. The drug dealing and problems are getting worse and driving out the good people. THIS CAMP NEEDS TO BE EVICTED FROM THIS PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY. The problems will then go away. The police should conduct a tent by tent search and I bet they come up with all kinds of drugs and paraphenalia. It is to bad that these problems where not dealt with a long time ago.

Wow,this is my first time visiting this blog due to my being one of the unfortunate no good down at my luck squatters inhabiting what some seem to regard as a dank sesspool of Drug dealers,Users or people just to darn lazy to move on to some other unsuspecting God fearing Tax paying U.S. of A. patriots.
I bet some if not all of you know someone that lost not just their home but most if not all they own when the fine upstanding people who carried the all the Mortgages and controlled the money supply decided they would gamble with each other to see who would cry uncle first. See the result? I personally have a Deaf/sight impaired sis and Deaf/Blind brother-in-law who signed the papers for their first home. That happened to be Aug. Of 2008. Within 6 months that

I drove by the camp last night as a big argument was going on at the Highland park entrance spilling out into the street. As usual complete chaos with noone in charge. This place needs to be closed down, the residents need toget jobs and be consructive members of society. Hanging around the camp doing nothing each day is not healthy. I have also been told conditions are still deteriorating and few in the camp want to do any work to improve it.The police should conduct a sweep of the camp “public property’ and ge rid of all the drug dealers and users. Good Riddence.

When this camp of drug dealers moves out of this location will be the time to rejoice. Someone needs to take control as it appears this “SHARE” organization does not know what they are doing. They have allowed things to get out of control and deteriorateputting good people at risk.

How can the City authorize these people to set this place up and to continue with these, deteriorating, unhealthy conditions and waste taxpayer money. The camp needs to be shut down immediately before someone gets killed over drugs.

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